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American Red Cross

Is this your company?

I very much enjoyed my years as a Red Cross employee. It's an organization with a lot of heart and hard working people. - Regional Director American Red Cross Employee Review

4.0
Mar 25, 2010
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Everyone knows the Red Cross and I was proud to be able to work each day towards the incredible mission of helping people "prevent, prepare for and respond to disasters" both big and small. I've never had a boss who worked so hard and with so much passion and I've worked for several non-profits. Leadership constantly gave me opportunities to learn, grow and shine; I'm so thankful for that. And, at the Red Cross, employees have the opportunity to develop TWO careers - their daily work and their role during a disaster.

Cons

National leadership struggles following each major disaster (9/11, Katrina, etc.). That and our inability to adequately explain to the public what we do creates the opportunity for us to regularly come under scrutiny - sometimes deserved, but mostly not. Too much paperwork and hoops to jump through - lighten it up so we can deliver more services. Reduce unnecessary costs so funds go further withOUT eliminating so many people. The rest of us become exhausted.

Explore other reviews about American Red Cross

5.0
Apr 16, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

My experience working with the Red Cross has been great. The work is fulfilling and the people are passionate. Benefits are good - Kaiser is $6 a month!

Cons

There is work life balance, but there is an expectation to work nights and weekends.

2.0
Mar 15, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

You feel connected to a larger mission, and go to bed knowing you did good work. Most of the volunteers are amazing people. The job is a good stepping stone to other disaster management jobs elsewhere. PTO policy is generous and Healthcare is decent.

Cons

You are INCREDIBLY overworked and GROSSLY underpaid. You get zero work-life balance. Even when you're not on call, you'll still get tons of calls from volunteers with questions and concerns. If a volunteer is unavailable to respond to a fire call or tend to any other responsibility day or night, you're on deck. You're salaried, so there's no overtime pay. Your pay barely covers the basic cost of living in today's economy ($40k-$50k). Diversity is bottom heavy, meaning there are lots of employees of color in entry level or lower management roles, but beyond that there's a steep drop off. Most of the volunteers are great, but the Red Cross is so desperate to keep them, that poor behavior and language (racist/sexist/phobic) is not properly disciplined or responded to, if at all. Employee retention is poor, especially in the Disaster Specialist role, because they burn you out so quickly without decent pay.

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